Ice remover



C. J. BECK ICE REMOVER May 28, 1946.

Filed Feb. 19, 1944 III .IIIIIIIE CHARLES J. Bwc

verize the sleet layer. will cause the layer to be broken into small par- Patented May 28, 1946 ESI PA ICE REMovER Charles J. Beck, Fargo;` N.`Dakv.,` assigner offene-0,` v `V "l" half to Earl Armstrong; Fargo, N. Dak.` i

. 1 Application February 19, lolgfsf'erial N0. 52351651A i Y This invention relates to means for ice removal on paved highways, airport landing strips and aprons, and various surfaces which c accommodate vehicular traflc. Under present conditions, where sand has been placed upon the sleet or ice to provide a traction surface, it is found the winds usually accompanying a sleet condition remove the sand in relatively Vshort space of time, and in addition to which sanding is a time consuming task, thus demonstrating the need for actually removing the sleet and ice.

The primary object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a device which, when used in conjunction Witha road grader of standard manufacture or other suitable equipment, will pul- 'I'his pulverizing action ticles which can easily be removed by the use of a revolving brush, driven by the grader, by passing' vehicular traffic, or by the air turbulence normally accompanying a sleet condition. An additional object is to provide af convenient method of A'mounting and demounting the device so as notl to restrict the utility ofthe aforementioned grader or other machine with which it is used.I

A further object is to insure adaptability of Y thedevice to various surface widths. `This requirement, is satisfied by providing for a plu-` ralityof individual units to be mounted in trans- Y versely aligned gangs and so designed that one or more of the individual units may be removed as required. Also, in this connection, there is provision for the addition of individual units in tandem with one another where `the sleet layer `is particularly tenacious and requires additional `'pulverization for removal.

Still a, further object is to provide 'a manner of independent suspension of a series of narrow individual units, so that a surface irregularity encountered by one unit will not cause pressure to be removed from one or any other units. Each unit is further independently spring biased to the surface being contacted so as to provide con'- stant pressure with respect to that surface. Y

.Themethods used in accomplishing theseand other objects will be disclosed in the following `specification,,reference being had to `the accompanying drawing in whichv y n Fig, `1 is a side view of a two gang sleet removing apparatus `mounted on a road grader of standard manufacture. y v,

Fig. 2 yis an enlarged fragmentary side view of .two units .mounted in tandem, :showing the '.6 claims- (01; 26a-20) sleet and ,Figa 3 isa fragmentary cross sectional, front `viewlalong theline 3-.3 in Fig. 2, of four units .showing theindependent mounting and also showing `Aone of the unitsaccommodating itself .to la' surface, irregularity. Fig;` 4 isgan enlarged, fragmentary endV view of af single Yunit Vshowing the 'action` thereof upon Vthe ice layer. al n 3.: 1

Fig. 5 `is anV enlargeddiagram`matic plan view showing a'series: of, units .arranged in 4parallel and tandem :in'such fashion that the rollers of the second Iseriesi of Yunits will contact the surface `not` encountered by the leading series of unitsaw` Referring now more particularly and by reference characters to the drawing, A; represents generally a road'grading machine shown here as .being` one type of machine to which my invention may be applied. This machine includes an A-frame or drawbar structure B and a mechanism C by means yof which down pressure may be exerted on this `element B and the same adjusted-up anddown.l Ordinarily the grader blade (not shown). is attached to `the draWbar C but this is,` of course, removed when my invention is "applied to the machine." substituted then for the grader blade are three, more or less, transverse mounting beams I0 which areV bolted to drawbar B as indicatedat AI I and which are of such length as to support the disk or roller gang I2 which` makes` up my ice remover. This gang may be of any required width, transversely, in order to clear the lane along the highway or other surface D upon which the ice or sleet E has co1- lected.

"The gang I2 comprises a series of individual units of substantially identical construction and each of which comprises a, mounting member or bracket' I3 extending generally forwardly and rearwardly and having at its forward and lateral corners, depending hinge ears I4 which are apertured to receive a transversely extending hinge ,pinv I5. Supported from this pin I5 is a'roller support membero bar I6 which isspaced below the `,mounting bracket I3 in the same upright plane as that bracket` and which-at its forward end has upwardly turned ears Il apertured to pivotallyvengage said pin l5. Adjacent the rear endszof themembers I3' and I6; is an expansion `exerting a -yieldingidownward orbiasing pressure upon the lower member I6. The spring may axle pin 2| and which hub .may if desired be provided with any suitable form of anti-friction The peripheral sure face of the roller 22 has a number, here shown as four, of transversely spaced and annular -ribs bearings (not here shown).

up by passing traffic. Or a scraper or rotary brush (not shown) may be used for this purpose as will be understood.

The plurality of narrow rollers 22 and the individual suspension of each provides for the complete accommodation of the apparatus to irregularities in the surface on which it travels. On even the smoothest appearing highways minor and small irregularities or bumps are common :and as clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 3' one of the rollers meeting such an obstruction F will rise to roll thereover and then immediately return to the or fins 24 between which the diameterfof the n roller is reduced forming annular spacesn or grooves 25. The sides of the roller 22' are shown as dished out at 21 to reduce the amountlofA material required and obviously the roller may be provided with a replaceable tread surface in a conventional manner to` facilitate replacement when the ribs 24 become worn. y

The rear end of the support member I6 of each unit is angled upwardly at 28 and provided with openings 29 to slidably receivestripper ngers-3ll which extend into. the grooves 25 substantially tangent thereto and at the upper rearportion of the roller. The stripper fingers 3U are adjustably secured in the openings 2S by set screwsV 3l and may be adjusted to proper position inthe grooves 25 to clean out ice4 therefrom asthe roller rotates.

In use the units constructed as` described lare arranged in two transversely aligned; rows. one slightly forward of the other and` with alternate units spaced forwardly and rearwardlygto such distance that the respective lugs will` clear each other as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. In thismanner the rollers] 22 may be; broughtr closely together (see Fig. 3) without interference from. the

lugs 2l!` and so. that the spaces between individual rollers will be: substantially equalin width, to the spaces in the rollers, andthe paths traveled by the webs 24 willthusbe equally spacedacross the full width of the rows. As thus arranged the forward ends of the mounting, bars |13- of the rear units will fit alongside therear ends of forward units and beneaththecenter beam l0, while the opposite ends of the bars will fall beneath the forward and rearward beams, as clearly seen in Fig. l. The bars I3 may be secured to the beams I by bolts asseen at 32 in Fig. 2.

Now as the machine moves forwardly over the surface D, be it a highway, apron or whatever,

the rollers 22 will turn while exerting relatively tremendous downward pressure on the ice coating E. This pressure is secured by the springs I8 and the pressure exerted downward on the drawbar B by the usual mechanism of the machine A. The narrow, disc-like webs 24 will crush the ice as they roll over it andthe crushing effect spreads laterally from each web as seen in Fig.` 4 so that the ice will be crushed or pulverized across the full width of the gang l2. The spaces 25 between the webs 24' are substantially equal to the width of the webs so that one-half of the ice surface is contacted by the rollers. It is found that the ice is completely crushed in this manner and much more thorough clearing accomplished than would be possible were the spaces any wider. The

rounded edges of the webs, as seen in Fig; 4, further contribute to complete-crushing by causing a lateral'pressure or side busting effect on. the ice. The ice thus reduced is foundto be blown aside either byY the wind orthe airE turbulence set same level as the others under influence of the spring I8 when the obstruction is cleared. This action takesvplace without in any way interfering vr with the effective crushingl action of all of the other units.

This individual suspension of a greatnumber of narrow units obviously is thus farfsuperior to a single elongated roller which if lifted at any point by a bump on the road surface. will angle upward and leave a great part of the surface uncleared of. the ice. l

Where a single two-'row gang l2 is found toA be insufficient. to completely clear the entire surface of ice a, second, similarly arranged two row gang I2.a (Fig. 5) may be placed in tandem to the first and forwardv gang and offset slightly in the transverse plane so that the ribs 24a of the rear gang will travel the path` of the grooves 25inr the forward gang. The complete surface is thus contacted by the ribs as will be evident.

It, isk understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modifications come lwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my ini vention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by LettersPatent is:

l. Apparatus of the character described for crushing anice coating` on. a surface carrying vehicular traffic, comprising a wheeled frame l Yadapted to travel that surface and having a transversely arranged mounting means, a front rowfand a rear row of. rollers arranged transversely of the frame, mounting assemblies for connecting the rollers to the said supporting means and each assembly including an upper member and; a. lower member movably connected nso .thatr the. lower member may move upwardly and. downwardly, springI means biasing said lowei member in a downward direction, said lower member of each assembly having lateral dependingV lug members between which the roll'er is journaled, and the rear row of rollers and their mounting, assemblies being so spaced behind the forward row that the adjacent lateral. lug members on the respective lower members will clear each other and lie in substantially the same upright longitudinal plane to permit close spacing of the rollers. s

2. Apparatus of the character described for crushing an ice coating on a Asurface carrying vehicularA traffic; comprising a vwheeled frame adapted to travel thatsurface and having a transversely arranged mounting'mea-ns, a-front row and a rearl row of `rollers arranged transversely of the frame, .mounting assemblies for connecting therollers to the said supporting means and eachassem-bly including anl upper member and a lower member-movably connected sothat the lower member mayv move upwardly and downwardly, spring means'biasing said: lower member in a downwardI direction.' 'said-lower ing lugmembersibetweenwhichthevroller is journaled, and the rear row of rollers and their mounting assemblies being so spaced behind the forward row that the adjacent lateral lug members on the respective lower members will clearv each other and lie in substantially the same upright longitudinal plane to permit close spacing of the rollers, the said rollers all having a series of transversely spaced peripheral webs separated by peripheral grooves, and the said spacing between adjacent rollers being substantially the same as the width of said grooves.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a frame, of at least one roller adapted to be carried by the frame and rolled thereby over an ice coated surface, said roller having a plurality of spaced narrow webs, and the outer annular surfaces of the webs being rounded off transversely to thereby exert lateral pressures upon the ice.

4. Apparatus of the character described for crushing an ice coating on a surface carrying vehicular trafic, comprising a wheeled frame adapted to travel that surface and having a transversely arranged mounting means, a front row and a rear row of rollers arranged transversely of the frame, mounting assemblies for connecting the rollers to the said supporting means and each assembly including a member having lateral depending lug members between which the roller is journaled, and the rear row of rollers and their mounting assemblies being so spaced behind the forward row that the adjacent lateral lug members will clear each other and lie in substantially the same upright longitudinal planes to permit close overlapping relation of the front and rear rollers.

5, In an apparatus of the character described for crushing the ice coating upon a road surface, a frame adapted to travel over said surface, a series of rollers arranged side by side and adapted to be rolled upon the ice coating to crush the same, a mounting assembly for each of said rollers comprising an upper member rigidly secured to the frame, a lower member pivotally connected at its forward end to the forward end of said rigid member and extending rearwardly therebeneath, means at the rear end of said lower member rotatably supporting the roller, and a spring disposed between the said upper and lower members immediately above the said roller and operative to exert a yielding downward pressure upon the said lower member.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a frame of at least one roller adapted to be carried by the frame and rolled thereby over an ice coated surface, said roller having a plurality of spaced peripheral webs the width of which is substantially equal to the spaces between them, and the outer peripheral surfaces of the webs being rounded off transversely to thereby exert lateral crushing pressures on the ice between the webs.

CHARLES J. BECK. 

